The Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) approach is a teaching system in which students learn physics using processes that mirror scientific practice. As a sequel to “Investigative Science Learning Environment: When learning physics mirrors doing physics” (Etkina, Brookes, and Planinsic (2019)), this book systematically discusses how to use the ISLE approach to help teachers (prospective and present) develop productive habits of mind and practice that will allow them to prepare their students for success in the 21st century. The book contains theoretical explanations, practical suggestions, and exciting physics examples and problems that can be used in any physics teacher preparation program or a professional development workshop, whether the ISLE approach is adopted or not.
Key Features
- Discusses the practical implementation of the ISLE approach, a teaching system in which students learn physics using processes that mirror scientific practice.
- Shows how to use the ISLE approach in teacher preparation and professional development of in-service teachers.
- The ISLE approach develops epistemic knowledge and competencies such as experimental design, evaluation of multiple solutions and communication.
- Includes worked physics examples, case studies and interludes at the end of each chapter.
- Valuable for physics courses of any level (from middle school to graduate coursework).
Table of Contents:
1 Introduction
2 Dispositions, knowledge, and skills of teachers and their relationship to teaching physics through the ISLE approach
3 Habits of physics teachers
4 ISLE and the development of physics habits of mind
5 ISLE and the development of physics teacher habits of mind and practice
6 ISLE and development of routines
7 Organizing ISLE-based teacher preparation programs for the development of habits of mind and practice
8 Success stories in the development of habits
9 Summary
About the Author :
Eugenia Etkina is Emerita Distinguished Professor of Science Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She is a co-founder of the ISLE approach. Eugenia designed and coordinated one of the largest programs in physics teacher preparation in the United States. She is the lead author of the textbook “College Physics: Explore and Apply, the Active Learning Guide and the Instructor Guide”. She is a recipient of the 2014 Millikan Medal of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), awarded to educators who have made significant contributions to teaching physics, and is a fellow of the AAPT. Eugenia has conducted over 200 workshops for physics instructors and published over 100 peer-refereed research articles. She created and manages a community of physics educators on Facebook "Exploring and applying Physics", dedicated to the spreading of the ISLE approach (over 2500 members from all over the world).
Gorazd Planinsic is a Professor of Physics at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He has a PhD in physics from the University of Ljubljana. Since 2000, he has led the Physics Education program, which prepares almost all high school physics teachers in the country of Slovenia. He started his career in MRI physics and later switched to physics education research. During the last 10 years, his work has mostly focused on the research of new experiments and how to use them more productively in teaching and learning physics. He is co-founder of the Slovenian hands-on science center House of Experiments. Professor Planinsic is co-author of more than 80 peer-refereed research articles and more than 20 popular science articles, a co-author of “College Physics: Explore and Apply and the Active Learning Guide”, and the author of a Slovenian university textbook for future physics teachers. He is a recipient of a GIREP medal for his contributions in Physics Education and a fellow of the IOP.
